Research to policy and practice Links between alcohol consumption and domestic and sexual violence against women: Key findings and future directions
In Australia, alcohol is estimated to be involved in between 23 percent and 65 percent of all family violence incidents reported to police. The literature shows a solid and persistent connection between alcohol use and violence against women. Nevertheless, the precise nature and function of alcohol use in the perpetration and victimisation of sexual assault, and family and intimate partner violence, is complex and controversial.
Links between alcohol consumption and domestic and sexual violence against women is an overview of relevant peer-reviewed primary research, grey literature, other literature reviews, and meta-analytic studies. Produced with the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, this review suggests that there is little evidence that alcohol use is a primary cause of violence against women. The paper does, however, identify that there are clear associations, and in some cases, strong correlations between alcohol use and violence against women, including, for instance, in the severity of the violence.
Publication details
ANROWS Compass (Research to policy and practice papers) are concise papers that summarise key findings of research on violence against women and their children, including research produced under ANROWS’s research program, and provide advice on the implications for policy and practice.
Authors
MR PATRICK NOONAN
Researcher, QCDFVR, CQUniversity
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ANNABEL TAYLOR
Director, QCDFVR, CQUniversity
MS JACKIE BURKE
Senior Research Officer, ANROWS
ISSN: 2204-9622 (print) 2204-9630 (online)
14 pp.